The Sunday herald and weekly national intelligencer., 1887-02-20
GREENLAND PENETRATED.
Lieut.. Pcnry Finds u ayastsnow- lad Plateau
1900 Feet Above Sea Lcvoi--Thc Interior
an "Impcrial Highway" for Northern Ex-
plorntions.

A stray paragraph in one Of the newspapers
here brought the news from London paper,
copied from Copenhagen journal, that an
American naval engineer had been exploring
Greenland, This meagre scrap Of information,
strained through two languages, and having lost
In lite circuitous journey almost all semblauoe
to the fact, arrived in Washington about the
same time as did the explorer himself The
gentleman disguised In this vagabond para
graph as "a Mr.. Pears is no other than Lieut.,
Robert +. Pcary, well known here IN Washing |
ton. Although quite a young man, Lieut..
Pcary has mad considerable experience lie ac
Lieut., Mcnocal In the projection OF
the Nicaraguan Ship Canal across Central
America, during which he devised probably the
most perfect lock-gatc for the passage of large
vessels through deep locks ever invented
In reply to question as TO the extent and
duration of his explorations last year, he said;
~ was away about six months. | went from
st. Johns, n. f., to Godhaven, Greenland, in
whnlcr, arriving at the latter place June q,
Here was delayed some time by the ice, which
still remained in Disco Bay, II was not until
June 25 that l reached the head of Pakitsak
Ford in latitude 69o 3a' N.
"My party consisted of Christian Magaard
the Assistant Governor of the Danish depend
ency of Ritenbcnk aud eight Eskimos. From
the head of this ford everything was carried
over the mountains to the foot of the glacier
between three and four miles distant and 1,200
feet above the sea. l could not prevail upon
the Eskimo to accompany me upon the ice,
their superstitious fear of the 'grcat icc." which
they people with monsters and supernatural
beings outwcigiiing every inducemcnt, and
Maigaard aud myself were compelled to do all
the manual labor of getting the slcdgcs up the
glacier face ourselves, frequently cutting steps
up the ice walls and hauling the sledges mp with
blocks and tackle, until at an elevation of about
1900 feet we reached the smoother and less
| steeply inclined surface Of the great ice field,
| This work occupied three days, or rather nights.
| ~ then started for the interior, hut after
| travelling about ten miles, and at an elevation
| OF 1900 feet, was met by a severe southcastcr
with binding snow. After lying upon the Ice
behind the slcdgcs for two days we retreated to
| the tent at the head of the ford Four days
| later. when the storm ceased, went back TO
| the slcdgcs, and July 5 started again, sleeping
by day and travelling by night, till a point was
reached 100 miles from the edge Of the glacier
| or from She coast about l25 miles.
| 1.-THE last two marches were made In the
teeth of a second southeast snow storm, which
finally became violent that it was impossible
to advance against H. and, turning our sledgcs
upon one side to break the force of the wind,
|
and In a short time were buried in the snow.
Here, 1900 feet above the sea, we remained
two days and nights, when lull In the storm
enabled us to excavatc a pit In the snow, which
we covered with a rubber blanket and the
sledges, and in this we passed another day he
fore the storm ceased.
AZ satisfied myself that the interior in that
region, at least is an elevated snowy desert,
over which comparatively easy progress can be
made.
'On the return, as the east wind was still
blowing strongly. lashed the two sledgcs
together, a Ia catamaran. rugged mast. yard,
and sail from alpenstocks aud rubber blanket,
and during the first two return marches we
were obliged only to guide the sledges. At
midnight of the third night, having descended
to an elevation of 5000 feet, where the snow
was covered with light crust. and the wind
being very fresh, we stretched ourselves upon
the sledgcs and began n bit of travelling, which
as far as l know. has no parallel In Arctic
work. From midnight till in the morning we
sat upon the impromptu ice-boat travelling at q
speed varying from walk to a run. At
O'Clock the black mountains of the land came
into view below us, and In the next hour We
dropped 600 feet with rush like n toboggan
After a narrow escape from being driven into
one Of the blue lakes on the Ice, we got off and
walked till the snow became deep watery
slush when we lay down on the sledges and
slept. The next two nights we marched
through slush and water, rushed the sledges
over crevasses, and forded swift-runnine
streams, till finally we reached the edge Of tn,
glacier.
"The heat of the sun during our absence had
melted the glacier face so that II was impossibl,
to descend It with siedges, and we took then
| on our backs, climbed over the mountains
lowered the sledges down the cliffs with lines
forded the river flowing from the glacier to thu
0 ford, and reached the tent after an absence o.
twenty days.
| "The landward face of the glacier where W,
assembled 1t is very steep and traversed In ever,
: direction with deep gullies, crevasses, an'
b canyons. Above this begins the ice field proper
t ascending more gradually and cut by crcvasses
: Further inland the rough blue ice is covered will
r watery snow, while lakes Of the deepest ultra
! marine occupy every depression. Beyond thi
! the snow gradually increases In depth and be
e comes dryer, the undulations grow longer ant
/ lakes disappear, and finally dry snow resem
u bling fine granulated sugar covers the ice to
;. depth of six feet or more ! wore snow-shoe
= nearly all the time, putting them on when &c
out of my sleeping bag and taking them OF
c when turned in Travel in the interior Will
g out them is an absolute impossiblity.'
'r "Was II necessary to make such a steep al
II cent in reaching the interior?"
e .No: but 1t is an advantage. | wished
ID gain the snow covering soon as possible
W The lower portions of the glacier are slushy an
At almost impossible. | attacked the ice at
" point as high above the level as possb
M and where the neighborhood of group
y; three large and rapidly dischargng glaciers il
u dcated n rapid ascent"
to sWhnt is the character Of the sceneryp'
ID "AlOng the coast it is magnificent beyon
le description. The richness and depth of Il
c. lights and shadows on the gigantic cliffs an
he mountains as they raise their heads into the "
ne low light of the midnight sun is wonderful
II, is n land of wonderful contrasts. i gathcr'
e- some brilliantly colored flowers growing rig
ed against and under ledges Of ice at the very ed
as OF the great ice field. Up in the interior the
Ms is no vegetation In the valleys the heat is som
In times intense for few hours during the da
On The mountains concentrate and reflect the sun
ld rays until 1t becomes very hot, while perha
ch n few hours later the sky is overclOuded, Il
he wind blows, and the same spot is extreme
ly cold"
'ss "What were your impressions of the inha
er tants Of Greenland ?"
an "As to the Danish officials in GrcenaIl
ne speaking from my personal experience, l c
al say they were as intelligent and courteous e
70, tlemen as ever met. To Herr Andersen, I
as Inspector of North Greenland, ! was parti,
ed larly indebted for many kindncsses, viii
rst among less hOspitable people would have be
Of considered due only to an old friend rather til
al, a stranger While at Godhaven saw n 90
IT. deal of the native habits, and, as the pastor
the Inspectorate made his annual visit Will
Ter was there, witnessed a native weddiI
ay dances, and the christening of the ycar'scrop
on Eskimo pickaninnies"
to "what was your ohlec, in exploring the
ed terror of Greenland ~
ct. ~ regard the interior of Greenland simply
u
a. as to many important questions is to be obtaiI
to there, yet its chief interest In my eyes is, Il
ess l believe II presents the route which, If inte
Ter gently made use Of, will round out the now
In complete contour Of Greenland and locate
zen mysterious Northeast cape"
me "Should our Government foster Arctic exp
Mr. ratlons ~
not II do not believe in large expeditions or
in Government expeditions for Arctic work.
OF believe In what may be termed the Amcri,
me method, so ably illustrated by Hall In his ear
BILE work and later by Schwatka, namely the m
ms, mum number Of white men, say three at INT
ON with as many natives as are necessary Bys'
, In parties more, better, and less expensive w
Pu- can be done than by large ones This Is
ify- method adopted by the Danish governm'
SER which during the past ten years has sent
M, annually small parties, consisting OF one or
hat naval officers and an assistant In this way
un- been accomplished the most complete and
aud tenlatic scientific work along some thous
a miles Of coast at a very moderate expense.
! Of sin my plan Of reaching the uneXplo
coasts Of Greenland by crossing its interior Il
'rry are two disadvantages-the vertical climb
GUS the unObstructed sweep Of the wind. Aga
l..s. a, ...ft tl.,a